~~~SisterSea~~~

I ask myself, how often have I betrayed a truth that I know out of fear? I pray for the strength, fortitude, wisdom, trust, and faith to cease acting out of fear and accept the responsibility to act out of love and truth.

CCEC

Proud Member of CCEC

Friday, April 22, 2016

Today
is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, which means for us, it's still the
Easter season. But today's readings are a reminder that we are all
destined for resurrection. Today's readings also remind us that
suffering may be part of following Jesus. Working for the Kindom can
be costly.

In
the first reading we are told Paul and Barnabas were met with
jealousy and their words contradicted by the Jews. These same people
incited others to persecute the disciples. But they did not lose
heart, they shook the dust off their feet in protest and went on.
Then we hear the are comforted by being “filled with joy and with
the Holy Spirit”.

In
the second reading, John tells us that in his vision he saw a great
multitude of those who had come out of the great ordeal. They were
from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with
palm branches in their hands. They will be sheltered by the one who
is seated on the throne. They will hunger.... and thirst no more
because the Lamb “will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Working
for the Kindom can be costly. Working for the kindom involves
struggle. For example, Honduras is the country with the most
killings of environmental and land defenders per capita in the
world1.
The Garifuna people are the mixed-race descendants of West African,
Central African, Island Carib and Arawak people2
. In the early 1800s, the Honduran government gave the Garifuna
communities along the Atlantic coast of Hunduras, the legal titles to
2,500 acres of land. Since then, they have held this land
collectively, sustaining themselves with fishing and farming. Now
these communities are being forced from their land, as proposals from
multinational
corporate interests to create mega-tourism projects and corporate-run
cities gain momentum3.
These corporations are mostly from the USA, Canada and European
nations.
In 1979, a
grassroots organization, The Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras
(OFRANEH) was created to defend the rights of Garifuna peoples in
Honduras.

There
is also an Indigenous rights group in Honduras called COPINH4
founded in 1993. It struggles to defend Mother Earth and Indigenous
rights and autonomy, and for a world where the rights of all people
are respected.
Since, the military coup in
2009, a new Military Police has been created. In addition to the
police, military and private hit-men already active in Honduras,
these new security forces are used to terrorize and murder those who
defend natural resources and Indigenous communities from being
plundered and destroyed.5This
March 3rd,
Berta Cáceres, COPINH's founder was murdered. Two weeks after her
murder, Nelson García, a 38 year old father of five and active
COPINH member, was also killed.6
Since the murders, COPINH
and OFRANEH have mobilized throughout Honduras “to demand the
demilitarization of all Indigenous territories and the removal of all
multinational corporations from their ancestral lands and seas.”7

Closer
to home, most of the time we think of the so-called “haves” as
lacking in concern for the so-called “have nots.” The reactions
to North Carolina’s new anti-trangender law might give us pause in
our generalized opinions.

PayPal
dropped its plan to build $3.6M facility and Deutsche Bank is
freezing its plans to expand into North Carolina in light of the
law.

Bruce
Springsteen and Ringo Starr cancelled their concerts in protest of
the law.8

Cyndi
Lauper and like Mumford & Sons will not cancel their shows but
will donate all profits made from their shows to Equality NC’s9
efforts to get the law overturned.10

Now
it is true that the cost of these actions will not be a real hardship
for PayPal, Deutche Bank or the performers. However, the actions are
a stimulus for justice for an oppressed segment of the population in
North Carolina as well as a warning to other states considering
similar unjust laws. Whether they know it or not or whether they
intended it or not, these actions work for the kindom of God.

Why
am I telling you these “downer” stories in the joyful season of
Easter? The first reason is because today's gospel says, “My
sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” To hear and
follow our Good Shepherd entails love for God and love for God's
creation, people, flora, fauna, and all that is animate and
inanimate. Pope Francis models this with his writings and in
practice. For example, this week he brought three Syrian refugee
families from Lesbos to the Vatican. They will be settled as
residents of Vatican City. Pope Francis acknowledged that it is a
small gesture and said, “It is these small gestures that all men
and women must do to take into hand whoever has need.”11
Slain Indigenous rights leader, Berta Cáceres understood this when
she said,
“We must undertake the struggle in all parts of the world, wherever
we may be, because we have no other spare or replacement planet. We
have only this one, and we have to take action.”

The
second reason is, in order to work for justice, we have to be aware
of the injustices that exist. The final—and as Christians—most
important reason is our belief in resurrection should be evident in
the way we live our lives. I'll close with the penultimate verse of
Julia Esquivel's poem, “They
Have Threatened Us With Resurrection”

Join
us in this vigiland you will know what it is to dream!Then
you will know how marvelous it isto live threatened with
Resurrection!12

Monday, September 07, 2015

A
few words and phrases stood out for me in today's readings. The
phrases of the first reading, “a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do
not fear!” speak to the conflicting moods of North America and
Europe today. Our leader's are promoting a climate of fear,
especially fear of the other. Yet, there are those who are inspired
to be strong and refuse be paralyzed by fear. They refuse to give up
hope for the world. They believe things should and can be better.

The
words from today's Gospel, “‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be
opened’”, just would not leave my consciousness. Could Jesus be
speaking to us as well as the deaf and speech impaired man in the
gospel? Is Jesus asking us to open our ears and hear the cries of
the strangers, widows, and orphans asking the greed-world countries
for asylum from wars, poverty and oppression? Is He asking that we
open our ears and hear the peacemakers and climate activists pleading
for an end to the war on nature and an end to wars between and within
nations? Could Jesus be asking us to to open our ears and hear the
cries of migrants and the working poor for fair wages and working
conditions? Likewise, is Jesus asking us to loosen our tongues and
speak plainly against all that is unjust?

This
is Labour day. So today, I'll focus on labour injustice by reading
“Our Path Forward” an adapted excerpt from the Labor Day
Statement issued by Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, Chairman of
the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the U. S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops. It states:

We
share one common home as part of a larger, single family, so the
dignity of workers, the stability of families, [] the health of
communities [and the health of the natural world] are all
intertwined. The path to a renewed society is built on authentic
solidarity and rooted in faith. It rejects the individualism and
materialism that make us indifferent to suffering and closed to the
possibility of encounter.

Individual
reflection and action is critical. We are in need of a profound
conversion of heart at all levels of our lives. Let us examine our
choices, and demand for ourselves and one another spirits of
gratitude, authentic relationship and true concern. Pope Francis
reminds us that “Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practice
the little way of love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or
any small gesture which sows peace and friendship . . . [and] break
with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness” (no.
230). The changes we make to how we live and interact with each other
[and nature] can help change the world.

Yet
individual effort should not stand alone. Our faith calling to love
one another impels us to share that vision of charity and justice
with others, and to go forth and encounter those at the margins.
Through collective action and movements, we have to recommit
ourselves to our [relatives] around the world in [our] human [and
non-human] family, and build systems and structures that nurture
family formation and stability in our own homes, neighborhoods [and
in our relationship with Mother Earth]. Sufficient decent work that
honors dignity and families is a necessary component of the task
before us, and it is the Catholic way.

In
demanding a living wage for workers we give hope to those struggling
to provide for their families, as well as young workers who hope to
have families of their own someday. Unions and worker associations,
as with all human institutions, are imperfect, yet they remain
indispensable to this work, and they can exemplify the importance of
subsidiarity and solidarity in action. This Labor Day and always,
let us pray, reflect, and act, seeking to restore our work and
relationships to the honored place God has ordained for them.

Shared Homily Starter

First Reading:

Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15

Second Reading:

Ephesians 4:17-24

Gospel:

John 6:24-35

The
Vancouver Pride Parade is taking place this afternoon. I'm wearing
my rainbow stole as a sign of our community's inclusiveness. In this
community of Christ, in all our diversity, we are one. As such God's
commands and God's love includes all of us.

Today's
reading from the Book of Exodus described the time after God through
Moses has led the Israelites from slavery and saved them from
Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea. They are ungrateful for their
deliverance. They have no food and fail to trust in God's
faithfulness and that God will provide. Instead of anger, God
responds with food and another chance to follow God's instructions.

This
is a pattern that has echoed through the ages down to our times. We
are ungrateful for what we have. We sometimes even vilify God for
some mishap in our lives. Yet the Creator never ceases to be their
for us and provide us with another chance.

The
second reading tells us that we are not to live like those who are
ignorant of the gospel and the will of God. But the Lectionary text
omitted the two verses that Paul uses to describe living in “the
futility of their minds.” Paul characterizes this way of living
as “darkened
in understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their
ignorance, because of their hardness of heart, they have become
callous and have handed themselves over to licentiousness for the
practice of every kind of impurity to excess.”
The last verse has also been translated as, “ They
have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to
licentiousness, greedy to practise every kind of impurity.” The
biblical idea of impurity was not confined to matters of sex. Rather
impurity relates to matters of intemperance, such as over indulgence,
self-indulgence, selfishness, insensitivity and greed.

So
Paul tells us we must we put away our old selves prone to the
excessive desire to acquire and possess more, especially material
wealth, than we need or deserves. Instead we are to put on our
original selves that God created bathed with true justice and
holiness. We are to live lives of kindness, generosity, and
compassion, not only human to human, but also human to all other
forms of life.

This
brings us to the gospel. The author of the Gospel of John uses every
day things like bread and water as symbols with multiple meanings.
When he writes, “Do
not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures
for eternal life,”
we know immediately that we're not being told about ordinary bread.

Most
Christian commentators suggest that “bread of life” refers to the
Eucharist. What they don't often mention is that to follow Christ is
to be Eucharist to and for each other. Jesus says, “For
the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life
to the world”
and “I
am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and
whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

To
come to Jesus and to believe in Jesus means to live into our Christ
selves and to live with hearts and lives full of love, kindness,
generosity, and compassion. So that we who eat become bread for
others and so with our God become co-providers of life to the world.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Shared Homily Starter

First
Reading:

Jeremiah
23:1-6

Second
Reading:

Ephesians
2:13-18

Gospel:

Mark
6:30-34

Theologian
Diarmuid O'Murchu recently gave a 2-day workshop in Vancouver. In
one of his talks, he questioned why King David is held up as an icon
and why the Gospel writers would want David as part of the genealogy
of Jesus. David may have been a good shepherd boy but as a king, he
was a tyrant and he set in motion events that would 'destroy and
scatter' God's people. For example, David had at least seven wives
not counting his concubines yet he coerced the wife of one of his
most loyal soldiers to sleep with him. Then in order to hide his
adultery, he sent the soldier on a mission on which he knew the
outcome would be the soldier's death. David's lust is a metaphor for
greed. He has more than enough but he still wants more even if it
means another has to die.

Today's
first reading suggests that perhaps world leaders have like David
traded in their shepherd boy goodness for kingly power, ruthlessness
and injustice. Today as always there are exceptions to unholy
power-seeking but historically, we can see that religious as well as
secular leaders are also prone to greed and the pursuit of power.
Today, the injustice and ruthlessness of those in power all around
the globe is more lethal than ever before. But the first reading is
also telling us this is not then end of the story.

God
will “raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they
shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing”,
that is no one will be excluded. So I think the Gospel writers place
King David in the genealogy of Jesus to show that Jesus is, as the
prophet Jeremiah tells us, the First of the righteous Branch that God
whom raised up to execute justice and righteousness. Just as Jesus
is often referred to as the “new Adam,” the gospel writers may be
suggesting that Jesus is the “new David”, who shows leaders how
to get it right. The second reading appears to back that up. Paul
tells the Ephesians and us that Jesus came to proclaim peace to and
for all the “us's” and all the “thems.” If we take Jesus'
teaching to heart, we will know that we all have equal access to
God's love.

The
setting of today's gospel is just before the feeding of the five
thousand. Now remember that in the first reading God promised to
“raise up shepherds” plural. What Jesus is doing in today's
gospel is teaching his followers to be shepherds and care for the
sheep. The gospel says he showed them compassion “because they
were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many
things.” Jesus teaches them compassion by modelling compassion.
When you consider that this is the prelude to feeding the five
thousand, maybe one of the things he taught them was the value of
sharing.

Unfortunately,
we live in a world where today, 80 people own as much wealth as half
the world's population and nearly a billion people can barely afford
to feed their families.1”
We live in Canada where the richest person in our country owns more
wealth than the bottom seven million people.2”
These statistics make me want to agree with Parker Palmer when he
suggests the real miracle in the feeding of the five thousand was
getting everyone to share the little food they had and in so doing
everyone was fed.

Today
more than any other time in history, people in countries all over the
world, people of all faiths and no faith, are waking up. People not
blinded by wealth or the pursuit of power are beginning to realize
that we are all in this together. Perhaps now is the time promised
in Jeremiah, when God's flock is united in the quest for justice,
equality and wholeness. Not just for themselves but for nature and
for everyone, everywhere, that is, justice and well-being for the
Earth and all her inhabitants. All creation sings when we remember
that when we share no one goes hungry.

Shared Homily Starter

Today
is one of those times when the readings seem to fit together
beautifully. For me, today's readings form a sort of, “User's
Guide for Prophets” or “Prophesying 101”.

What
is a prophet? In Biblical terms, a prophet is not one who predicts
the future. Rather, a prophet is one who critiques their current
society using futuristic terms or futuristic imagery. They call
attention to deviations from God's plan for a just world. In today's
world, we call them economic, environmental and social justice
activists, liberation theologians. They feel impelled to speak
truth and some even use science fiction writing and film as the
vehicle for prophetic truths.

In
today's first reading, God is talking not only to Ezekiel but to us.
Today, just as in Ezekiel's day, people are transgressing against
God. But instead of a 'nation of rebels', rebellion against God has
has taken on global dimension because of commercialization and the
systematic normalization of greed. As believers, we are called to
speak truth to the powers that perpetuate this situation. What is
the truth that we are called to speak? It is to cry out against any
and all injustice, wherever it is.

Through
our commitment to live in accordance with God's will, we are charged
with speaking God's truth. We must speak out for climate and
environmental justice for the Earth, our home. We must speak out for
racial equality and for economic and social justice for our
relatives, that is, all of humanity. We are called to speak out
whether or not we are heard; whether or not we encounter those who
refuse to hear us. We are charged by God to be prophets.

The
second reading addresses our feelings of not being good enough or
smart enough or whatever enough to be prophets. Like Paul, we too
have our weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. Our foibles should serve to
curb any self-righteousness we might lean towards. But more
importantly, through the admission of our powerlessness and weakness
to God and to each other, powerlessness and weakness are transformed
into a whole and healthy and healing power rooted in God's justice.

Similarly,
we know that Christ resides in the collective or community as well as
in each and everyone one of us. It is our 'we-ness' in Christ that
strengthens us. Gratitude for our we-ness enables each of us to join
Paul when he says, “I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for
whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul's words “for the
sake of Christ” implies and should be understood also as “for,
with and in the community.” The one beneficial offshoot of
globalization is we now know that “community” is to be understood
as the global community because we are related to all that is.

But
just because we know we are related to all that is, it doesn't mean
that others agree with us. And so, today's Gospel tells us that as
prophets, we can expect to be rejected by the very people whom we
thought should be our allies. The gospel also reinforces the
encouragement given in the first reading. We speak the truth and try
to teach regardless of whether or not our message is received or
heard. We speak—and just maybe—our message may help to cure the
ignorance of at least a few people.

For
example, how often do we hear people we dearly love say things like,

“Why
don't they just get over it? or,

“Why
should we taxpayers have to foot the bill for.... whatever?”

As
prophets and speakers of truth, we must be combination history
teachers and proponents of the return to the philosophy of the common
good. Most of us move in many different circles. Like Jesus, even
though we may be “amazed” by the refusal of some to hear what we
are saying, we must move on and keep on.

As
prophets we are called to speak the truth. Speaking, like preaching
doesn't always call for words. We can speak the truth by the way we
live our lives. We speak truth by living free. When we pour or
invest our energy into the well-being of people, places and things
rather than acquiring power over people, places and things, we are
free. When we resist the societal norm of gluttonous consumption, we
exercise freedom. With freedom comes the ability to see that for
each of us, our personal well-being is tied to the well-being of the
Earth and all its inhabitants. With freedom comes the ability to
speak truth whether anyone chooses to hear us; to speak truth
regardless of our own weaknesses; and to speak truth even when we are
ridiculed by our families and friends. That, my relatives is
Prophesying 101; that is what the Spirit said to me through today's
readings.

Monday, June 22, 2015

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time—Fathers' Day

First
Reading:

Job
38.1-4, 5-7,
8-11

Second
Reading:

2
Corinthians 5.14-17

Gospel:

Mark 4.35-41

Today
is National Aboriginal Day and Fathers' Day. In preparation for each
Sunday's liturgy, I consult the Ordo.
The Ordo
is the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops' annual handbook for
priests. It provides some liturgical suggestions, lists the
Lectionary
texts, vestment colour, and Sacramentary
pages to be used for the day. In what should be a call to
reconciliation, today's Ordo
entry mentions Fathers' Day but makes no mention of National
Aboriginal Day or reconciliation. In light of the Church's role in
residential school's, I found this deeply disturbing.

Laurel,
and Anglican priest friend of mine, struggled with the Anglican
readings specially chosen for today, and how to make them relevant
in light of recent events such as the closing of Truth and
Reconciliation Commission's and the recent spate of violence against
African Americans, including the shooting at the African Methodist
Church in South Carolina. Like Laurel, I too struggled with how our
Lectionary readings could be made relevant to National Aboriginal Day
and recent events and still provide a hopeful and actionable message.
In then end, I decided simply to share my musings with you. For
example, although the Book of Job presents good messages on how bad
things can happen to good people, it is not a text I would have
chosen for today. In light of Canadian history and today's
significance to Canada's Aboriginal people's the choice of a text
about an all powerful God, who rains tribulation upon tribulation on
a person just to prove their loyalty to Him—and I do mean Him in
this instance, just doesn't fit. I'll continue with examples of how
words are not enough to demonstrate a Christian heart by those in
power positions.

For
example, most U. S. Southerners claim to be Christian, yet the
Confederate flag continues to fly over South Carolina's government
buildings. The unwillingness to remove this flag sanctions the
willful forgetfulness of sins against African Americans. Similarly,
by ignoring National Aboriginal Day in the Ordo,
the Canadian Catholic Bishops sanction willful forgetfulness of the
sins against our Aboriginal relatives. Yet the bishops reinforce
patria
potestas
by their reference to Father's Day.
In Roman Law, patria
potestas
referred to the male head of the household's power, including the
power of life and death, over all members of his household. Thus our
bishops demonstrate that paternalism or patria
potestas influences
the Roman
church more than the reconciling potestate
amoris Dei,
that is, the
power of God's love.

The
second reading speaks to Christ's love for all of us and urges us to
see things with the eyes of Christ who died for us all. It tells us
that we should no longer live for ourselves but live for, in and with
the love of Christ. I suggest this can be expanded to mean that we
also hear messages of love and justice others can teach us. For
example, the midwestern states of the United States call themselves
the “heartland of America” but their tendency towards the
religious right's stance on various justice issues belies the term
“heartland”. Conversely, we have the consistently peaceful Hopi
Nation. They took to the high mesas of Arizona rather than engage
the invading Dene, whom we call the Navajo, in battle. Today, the
Hopi Reservation is surrounded by the Navajo Reservation, which in
turn is surrounded by the—mostly hostile—rest of the United
States. In my opinion, the Hopi Reservation is the true heartland of
America.

The
following message is from the heartland's Hopi Elders of Arizona.
Its wisdom tells us how we can carry on in light of the past and
current injustices to our Indigenous relatives and our relatives of
colour—here in Canada and elsewhere. I believe this message is
appropriate for this National Aboriginal Day because it is full of
Indigenous wisdom and potestate
amoris Dei
(the power of God's love). So listen with the heart of Christ.
Listen to the Hopi Elders with an open heart. The Elders say:

You
have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour. Now you
must go back and tell the people that this is The
Hour. Here are the things that must be considered:

Where
are you living?

What
are you doing?

What
are your relationships?

Are
you in right relation?

Where
is your water?

Know
your garden.

It
is time to speak your Truth.

Create
your community.

Be
good to each other.

And
do not look outside yourself for the leader.

This
could be a good time!

There
is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that
there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the
shore. They will feel like they are being torn apart, and they will
suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say
we must let go of the shore, push off toward the middle of the river,
keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. See who is there
with you and celebrate.

At
this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all
ourselves! For the moment we do, our spiritual growth and journey
comes to a halt. The time of the lonely wolf is over. Gather
yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and
vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and
in celebration. We are the ones we have been waiting for.

What
I hear the Hopi Elders telling us is the same as the Gospels tell us.
Our work is to put into practice the sacred tenets of our
collectives—whether it's the Gospel, the Hopi Elders' message or
the wisdom of other religions or the intentions of people of
goodwill. TheLaw
of Attraction
says that you attract into your life whatever you think about, that
is, your dominant thoughts will find a way to manifest. So
drawing from the gospel and the Hopi, what
we have to put into practice is to know ourselves, which includes our
inner as well as outer resources; to build relationships and share
resources; to love our neighbours and ourselves; to not be afraid; to
speak truth; to work, play, laugh and pray together.
In this way we put on the mind of Christ and make manifest the
transformation of hate into love. When we put on the mind of Christ,
we can turn from denials to acknowledgment of our shared history and
make the truth of our shared histories the basis of genuine
reconciliation with each other and with the divine Source of all
being, who loves us all.

Monday, June 01, 2015

Path
to Reconciliation

Shared Homily Starter

Second Reading

Roman 8:14-17

Gospel

Matthew
28:16-20

Today
is Trinity Sunday. Today's scripture readings provide an opportunity
to reclaim or reinterpret these texts using the Holy Trinity as the
template for all relationships. And so, today is an opportunity to
reflect on the past with an eye on reconciliation between First
Peoples and settler peoples of Canada.

In
the reading from Roman's, Paul, tells us “all
who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” We
Christians have been quite arrogant by trying limit whom and how the
Spirit of God leads. God, Father/Mother, Eternal Word and Holy
Spirit, has been active in the world since the beginning—always and
everywhere: before Christianity and Christendom; before creeds and
cathedrals; and, before dogma and doctrine.

I
often think fiction writers are better theologians than theologians.
In
the movie, Winter's Tale, Colin Farrell plays a thief. He is
assisted by a mystical white horse, whose sudden appearance and
extraordinary abilities, Farrell is at a loss to explains Graham
Green's plays Farrell's friend, a Native American man who recognizes
the horse as the Spirit Guide who also can appear as a dog. Lastly,
from what one would understand as a Christian theological
perspective, Russell Crowe plays a demon minion of the devil, who
recognizes the horse as Farrell's guardian angel. This heavenly
being assists Farrell's character to achieve what the film calls his
'miracle', that is, what God put him on this earth to do.

This
film artfully and deftly shows that representation of God's presence
is open to interpretation. But the fact of God's presence in
peoples' lives is a fact, whether or not that presence can be defined
or detected by Church leaders.

The
leads me to today's gospel, specifically the part: “Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” In
a society based on the Trinity, the words, “and
teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you”
should be the one part of the Bible that people take literally. Why?
Because Jesus gave only two commandments: “'You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first
commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your
neighbour as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets.”

Jesus
did not command forced conversion. All that Jesus commanded is love.
Love is nurtured in relationship. When we builds relationships with
others, our eyes and hearts are open to see that they too are being
led by the Spirit. Further, the Spirit may have something to tell us
through them: care for the Earth comes to mind.

Now
let's look at the part that should nurture relationship and community
but
in conjunction with the phrase I've just discussed has
been used to do so many ungodly things. The word baptize means to
initiate, admit, introduce, invest, recruit, enrol, induct,
indoctrinate or, instate. Our situation today is the result of the
Christian European colonizing powers acting only on the meanings:
recruit and indoctrinate. They paid lip service to belief in the
Trinity but acted as if only God the Father, the Almighty King. To
go forward we need to understand that in the Trinity, God is
Father[/Mother], Son, and Holy Spirit in reciprocal communion. The
persons of the Trinity, to quote Leonardo Boff,

coexist
from all eternity; none is before or after, or superior or inferior,
to the other. Each Person enwraps the others; all permeate one
another and live in one another. This is the trinitarian
communion, so infinite and deep that the divine Three are united and
are therefore one sole God.... [E]ach person in in communion with the
other two.1

When
Christians think of God only as Father, when God is not understood as
Trinity, it can and has lead to totalitarianism in politics,
authoritarianism in religion, paternalism in society.2The
“Age of Discovery” is an example of the marriage between
totalitarianism and authoritarianism based on the notion of an
almighty God the Father—the King of heaven, represented on earth by
the pope and Christian kings. This ideology clothed in theology
produced two papal documents that still influence indigenous-settler
relations to this day.

In
1452 Pope Nicholas V's issued a decree that gave the Portuguese King
carte blanche
to seize control of 'discovered' lands and permission to enslave the
land's inhabitants. Then in 1493, Pope Alexander VI issued Inter
Cetera, which ordered
that "barbarous nations be overthrown" and those nations
"discovered" be converted to the Catholic faith "to
propagate the Christian religion" (Taliman, 1994). These
documents had lasting deleterious results. For example, the Beothuk
of Newfoundland and the Tainos of the Caribbean were
hunted or worked to extinction by europeans.
The Native peoples of North America, Africa and other parts of the
world were oppressed, persecuted, and dispossessed of their lands and
livelihoods as European nations
sought to subdue and Christianize them—often by force.

Now
the generations before us can't mend the harms done but we can. With
the Holy Trinity as our Template, we can build the relationships
represented in the Two Row Wampum: people living in harmony,
respecting each others' religions, values and cultures, living in
friendship, peace and justice.

In
a society based in the Trinity, rather than an authoritarian
conception of God, each person “is accepted as they are, each opens
to the other and gives the best of himself or herself.”3We
are all made in the image of God, whose love is self-effusive. Love
flows between the Persons of the Trinity, as well as outwards to
creation. We
and the rest of creation are all God's love made manifest.
We manifest God's love when we open our hearts and minds to the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We manifest the creative love of the
Mother as we develop right relationships with and between all beings.
We can manifest Jesus' redemptive love by living as he taught, that
is, to treat each other in ways that contribute to the well-being of
all.

I'm
not attributing specific tasks to the Persons of the Trinity or us,
what I am trying to convey is the cooperative action of the Trinity
that we should emulate. We imitate the cooperative action of the
Holy Trinity when we recognize that we do not and cannot direct or
control who and where the Spirit of God leads. As Christians, let us
allow the example of the Holy Trinity guide us in the formation of
our own relationships. If we did this we might find that it's not
so-called “others” that we need to baptize in the name of the
Mother/Father-Son-and-Holy Spirit. Rather, we need to question
whether we live lives that lovingly demonstrate that we are baptized.
Ponder the following excerpt from a Lakota Prayer.

You
are all my relations, my relatives, without whom I would not live. We
are in the circle of life together, co-existing, co-dependent,
co-creating our destiny. One, not more important than the other. One
nation evolving from the other and yet each dependent upon the one
above and the one below. All of us a part of the Great Mystery.
Thank
you for this Life.4

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Fourth
Sunday of Lent -- Reflection / Homily Starter

If
you are here for the first time, after my sermon, I usually ask a
question that has to do with the theme but not necessarily on what
I've said. Please feel equally free to share or not. As this is
kairos Sunday, today's homily will touch on kairos
Canada and celebrate our community's participation in the local
kairos group.

The
Greek word, pleonexias, used in today's Gospel, means both
greed and covetousness. Covetousness is greed that surpasses the
desire for more than what one needs for a comfortable life. It is an
insatiable desire to have what rightfully belongs to another, no
matter how little the other has. Such greediness is prone to
continual accumulation by means of violence, trickery, or the
manipulation of authority. Jesus was aware that the questioner was
attempting such a manipulation. Jesus' response ‘Friend, who
set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ was a refusal to
be manipulated. Jesus' response also told the questioner to act
justly. To be perfectly clear, Jesus added the warning to him and to
the listeners, 'Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of
greed.'

In
the parable, we hear that the rich man's land produced abundantly.
Yet, instead of sharing or even selling his excess crops for a fair
price, he decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones to
accommodate his excess. In today's context, we could substitute the
excess 'crops' in the parable with excesses in land ownership, in
power and privilege, and in access to the resources necessary for
survival. All of these are things today's rich persons, often
including us—particularly with regard to power and privilege— are
not will to share. We'd rather buy bigger houses, continue to have
unequal access to opportunities, hire more police to protect our
assets, have exclusionary immigration policies and/or, be complicit
in the poisoning of people and the planet. Is God talking not only
to the rich but also to us with the statement, “You fool!This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things
you have prepared, whose will they be?” This parable and the
Gospels are instructive devices to influence us to make the right
choices and this is where kairos comes in.

Kairos
(καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or
opportune moment. The ancient Greeks had two words for time:
chronos, which refers to chronological or sequential time;
and, kairos, which signifies a moment of indeterminate time,
a holy, God- given time, full of meaning, choice and, possibilities.
The Lutheran theologian Paul Tillich described the plural of kairos,
kairoi, as those crises times in history that create an
opportunity—or more accurately—a demand for us to make choices.

In
both ancient and modern Greek, kairos, also means weather.
Could it be that we are being asked to pay attention to and prepare
for the weather (kairos) of our times (kairoi). kairos
Canada's Greater Vancouver group could just be the umbrella or snow
tires that enable us to be on our guard against all kinds of
greed; to help us make and act on decisions that promote justice
and equity with our neighbours and creation.

For
those of you new to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Tonantzin Community, we
joined kairos Canada as a community in late 2012, shortly
after our birth as a community. kairos, the Canadian
Ecumenical Justice Initiatives defines itself as uniting Canadian
churches and religious organizations in a faithful ecumenical
response to the call of Micah 6:8, which is to “do justice, and to
love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” kairos is
informed by biblical teaching and inspired by a vision of God’s
compassionate justice. Based on this foundation, kairos
deliberates on issues of common concern, strives to be a prophetic
voice in the public sphere and advocates for social change by
amplifying and strengthening the public witness of its members.1

As
individuals and sometimes collectively, we have supported justice
initiatives concerning human rights, climate justice and resource
extraction. However, we have been most active in the kairos
Indigenous Rights initiative, most specifically, justice for Canada's
Indigenous People's.

Before
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) came to Vancouver, we
hosted a reconciliation circle with Hummingbird Ministries at
Samaritan House and attended ecumenical reconciliation circles and
events. During Vancouver's TRC event, several of us attended in
person or watched the live-stream. We also participated in the Walk
for Reconciliation, the Sunday following the close of the TRC.

It
is time that justice prevails for Indigenous peoples with regard to
land, power, privilege and, access to the resources necessary for
survival. As we go forward together, let us remain committed to the
work of the Greater Vancouver kairos group in its dedication
to the reconciliation process.

Kairos
is now! It is a holy time! And so my relatives, I pray that we
embrace the example of the Trinity in this relationship-building
time. I pray that we choose action on reconciling with our
Indigenous relatives, not as a series of superficial events, but as a
lovingly, consciously, and passionately pursued process . I ask our
Triune God to help us as we strive not to be among those “who
store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God”
or God's own. Amen.

Please
reflect a moment, then please share a personal experience of kairos
in your life, that is, a time that you felt was a holy and full of
meaning, choice and, possibilities.

International
Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

Gospel:
John 17: 6-19 – Easter 7B

Today
is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and
Biphobia. The purpose of the day is “to promote a world of
tolerance, respect and freedom regardless of people’s sexual
orientations or gender identities.

For
people of all faiths and no faith, the day calls us to compassion.
For Christians, Jesus in today's gospel points the way beyond
tolerance and towards
compassionate action. John’s gospel tells of a compassionate Jesus
who, while on earth, both experienced persecution, hatred, and
violence and protected his disciples from them.

The
most prominent element of this passage is Jesus’ compassion. We
see that Jesus and the early Christian community knew the pain of
violence and persecution. Even though he is soon to be betrayed by
one of his disciples and crucified, he prays to God on behalf of the
disciples. He protects them on Earth and prays to God asking for
their continued protection. We see a deeply incarnational God in
Jesus—one who experiences pain and hatred alongside his followers,
one who is deeply concerned for their welfare, and one who prays for
their protection.

This
compassionate Jesus stands too with all those who are at the margins.
Jesus stands with all those who face hatred, violence, and
persecution today. Jesus experiences their pain, is concerned for
their well being, and hopes for their protection. The compassionate
Jesus also lives among the persecuted African LGBTQ persons and LGBTQ
around the world who are discriminated against because of their
sexual or gender identity. Jesus invites us, his disciples today, to
practice the same active compassion.

Another
striking component of today's gospel is the way Jesus places the
hatred of the world in the context of being “sent into the world”
(v.18). Admittedly, this is a challenging part of the text.
Although Jesus prays to God for the protection of his disciples, his
desire for their protection does not override their commissioning to
witness to the truth in the world. Even in his prayer for their
protection, Jesus reiterates the importance of the disciples going
into the world and witnessing to the truth.

As
Jesus’ disciples, we too are meant to go into the world and witness
to the truth. Whether it is the truth of our own gender and sexual
identities, or the truth that it is not acceptable to discriminate
against others on the basis of these identities, or the truth that
religion can no longer be exploited for the use of violence and
persecution, we are called to speak those truths publicly and
actively into the world.

And,
as Jesus acknowledges so must we, that speaking such truth means
meeting face-to-face with opposition. Even so, to speak the truth
means our actions must match our words. On the back cover of your
Order of Service booklet there is a list of some of the global LGBTQ
organizations. Whether we're an ally or identify as LGBT or Q,
whether we're in the closet or out, we can take some time to
learn more about the organizations on the list or more local
organizations. We, as individuals and as a community, can find out
how one or more of the organizations can use our support in advocacy
and outreach. We can work to make our hearts and community more
welcoming.

Standing
up against the violence and persecution of LGBTQ persons perpetrated
in African countries and around the world means facing a hostile
world in which there are countries with hostile laws, in which there
are individuals committed to homophobia and persecution, in which
there are religious people with hostile ideas about sexuality, and
sadly, in which there is apathy and silence among fellow Christians.

In
spite of all this today's gospel reminds us that Jesus sends his
disciples including us into such a world to witness to the truth.
Today's gospel also reminds us that we go into such a world with
God’s care and protection.

Please
reflect a moment then, if you wish, share a sentence or two on your
thoughts.